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Buffalo Bills Defense Hamlin TamarHis breathing tube was removed overnight and he spoke to his teammates via video, the Bills said Friday morning, four days after the 24-year-old’s in-game cardiac arrest stunned millions who watched the emergency game live.
“Love you guys,” Hamlin, still in a Cincinnati hospital, told his New York-based team on Friday via FaceTime. said on Twitter. When Hamlin appeared on the screen, his teammates “immediately stood up and clapped for him” and yelled a few things at him, head coach Sean McDermott told reporters.
Hamlin is “making remarkable progress in his recovery,” his “neurological function remains intact, and he has been able to communicate with his family and care team,” Bills said. Tweeted Friday morning, citing his doctors. However, Hamlin’s medical team has warned that there are several phases to his recovery.
Friday’s news comes a day after doctors announced that an unconscious Hamlin was awake and in good health. “Significant progress” – Encounter information News of joy and relief From the NFL and beyond.
When doctors announced Thursday that Hamlin was awake, they said His next big milestone is breathing on his own without a ventilator.
Hamlin collapsed Monday during the first quarter of the Bills’ game against the host Cincinnati Bengals. He was rushed from the field in an ambulance, shocking the packed stadium – with players crying and hugging – and prompting support from strangers across the country, including those who watched the medical emergency on live TV.
Hamlin was still introverted on Thursday, communicating only verbally. Upon awakening, his mind was still on the game as he wrote his first question on the clipboard: “Did we win?” A doctor said.
“So, not only do the lights come on, we know he’s home. And it seems like all cylinders are firing in his brain,” Dr. Timothy Pritz, vice president for medical operations at University of Cincinnati Health, where Hamlin is being treated, told reporters Thursday.
Doctors said Hamlin was still ill Thursday, though they did not say exactly when he began to wake up.
Tests are underway to determine the cause of his cardiac arrest, Dr said Thursday. Cardiac arrest results Electrical disturbances where the heart suddenly stops beating properly and death can occur quickly if help is not provided immediately; It is not the same as a heart attack or heart failure.
The NFL announced Thursday that the Bills-Bengals game — which was initially postponed Monday night — would not be restarted or made up. league players, Many were shocked With Hamlin’s fall, they are now preparing for an emotional return to competition to play their final games on Saturday and Sunday of the regular season.
That includes the New England Patriots on Sunday and the Bengals hosting the Baltimore Ravens. The league on Friday announced plans to honor Hamlin at all 16 games this weekend, including asking people to cheer in a “moment of support” before the national anthem for Hamlin and caregivers.
During warmups, players will have the option to wear T-shirts that display “Love for Tamar 3” along with Hamill’s jersey number. Worn by punters Connections with Hamlin number.
Both the Bills and Bengals have already earned a playoff berth. The cancellation of Monday’s game has no effect on which teams qualify for the playoffs, which could change seeding and where some playoff games are played — and is expected to be finalized by the NFL on Friday. adjustment to address it.
Bills, shaken by Hamlin’s decline, insisted for most of this week that they were focused solely on their teammate’s condition — and spoke about it, reluctantly, gradually, as this weekend’s game approached.
Team Met on Wednesday First practice of the week is before Thursday. A Video call With the team on Wednesday, Hamlin’s father said his son was making progress, and it “took a whole lot of weight off our shoulders,” Bills offensive lineman Dion Dawkins told “CNN This Morning” on Friday.
“Seeing his father’s expression on his face, we honestly had to take a big step forward,” Dawkins said.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott said during Friday’s press conference that the health and well-being of the players is a priority.
“We’ve been working on it,” McDermott said when asked about the task of preparing for Sunday’s game. “There are different waves or obstacles going into the game here, and it’s coming fast.”
The players had “some open and honest and deep talks” since their teammate was hospitalized Monday, Bills quarterback Josh Allen said.
“I think it’s a really good thing for our team to put that helmet back on,” he said of his return to practice, “…but I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say some people will be changed forever. Being on the field and witnessing it, I feel those emotions.
Doctors and Bills team members have repeatedly praised the quick response of medical personnel who rushed to Hamlin seconds after he collapsed.
Assistant Athletic Trainer Denny Kellington Hamlin performed CPR while lying on the field, Bills offensive lineman Dion Dawkins tweeted Thursday. Coach Hamlin saved his life, McDermott said Thursday.
“As they say, practice pays off and in this case it did,” the coach said at Thursday’s post-practice news conference dedicated to Hamlin. “But again, the context of it, a helper finding himself in that position, taking what he did, stepping up and taking responsibility as he did — and there were others in the field — was nothing short of amazing and brave, and you’re talking about a true leader in saving Tamar’s life, true. You are talking about a hero.
According to audio obtained by CNN, medical personnel working on the sidelines called for help when Hamlin collapsed. “I don’t like how he went down,” and “we’re going to need everybody,” they said.
NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills attributed the quick medical response to a “60-minute meeting” between medical teams and NFL officials Wednesday to identify medical equipment and the location of nearby medical centers. chain of command in an emergency, among others.
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane on Friday expressed his appreciation for the outpouring of support from across the NFL community over the past week.
“This week every team changed their logo on their social media page to pray for Tamar. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it. And, yes, we go to war, but at the end of the day, life is the No. 1 battle, and to see the unity of players, coaches, GMs, owners, fans is unheard of,” he said.
Heading into Monday night’s now-cancelled game, the Bills (12-3), Bengals (11-4) and Kansas City Chiefs (13-3) were in contention for first place in the American Football Conference playoffs. A first seed that guarantees full home-field advantage.
But with Monday’s Bills-Bengals game canceled, those two teams will go into the playoffs with one less game than the other clubs.
Although both teams have already clinched playoff spots, Monday’s cancellation will have no effect on either team’s playoff eligibility, and the league has agreed on which team hosts some playoff games.
To address this, NFL owners were scheduled to meet Friday afternoon to vote on a plan proposed by Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Most projects focus on the possibility of hosting the AFC Championship Game — the third round of the playoffs — at a neutral site.
In essence: If the Chiefs meet the Bills or Bengals in the AFC Championship Game, that matchup could be played at neutral site this weekend, depending on how the teams finish the regular season.
The plan also addresses the Bengals’ first-round playoff path if the Bengals lose to the division rival Baltimore Ravens (10-6) on Sunday.
If that happens, the NFL notes, the clubs would have the same number of wins — a stat that would give the Ravens a higher seed because they usually beat Cincinnati. Twice this season. However, the Bengals would qualify for a higher seed instead of a higher win — if only because they played one less game.
So under Goodell’s plan: If Cincinnati loses to Baltimore on Sunday and the two teams play in a first-round playoff game, a coin flip will determine which club hosts the game.